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The next morning, Hans came in shortly after they opened the café.
“Brrt!” Annie ran to greet him.
“Hello, Liebchen.” Hans bent stiffly to stroke the silver-gray tabby.
“Brrt.” This way. Annie slowly led him to a four-seater near the counter.
Hans sank down into the pine chair. Annie hopped up on the opposite one.
“What can we get you?” Lauren headed toward them, Zoe by her side. They didn’t provide table service as a rule, unless the customer was elderly, infirm, or harried. But Hans was one of their special customers, and besides, they wanted to catch him up on what had happened last week.
Zoe launched into the news about Jason’s murder.
“But that is horrible.” Hans paled. “What he did, to set up shop outside the café was not nice, but I do not think he should have died.”
“That’s true.” Lauren nodded.
“We didn’t do it,” Zoe protested.
“Of course not.” Hans smiled gently at them. “It was just a shock to hear such a thing.”
They informed him about the angry man complaining about his cupcakes to Jason and making a scene.
“Ja, I know who this might be.” Hans nodded. “It is Betty’s husband. He certainly likes his sweets.” He patted his slight paunch. “I must be careful I do not get carried away with sugar, but your cupcakes, Lauren, and Ed’s pastries, are hard to resist.”
“Don’t I know it,” Lauren said ruefully, thinking of the Danishes and cupcakes she’d enjoyed last week.
They took his order of a cappuccino and an apricot Danish.
As Lauren dusted the chocolate powder on top of the microfoam, she paused. “Do you think we should change to a darker chocolate for our beverages?” she asked Zoe. “Lately, a few people have been mentioning the dangers of too much sugar.”
She prided herself on ordering the best quality ingredients she could find, and the hot chocolate powder was no exception. It consisted of fifty percent cocoa, whereas she knew many other cafes used a weaker ratio, such as thirty percent or less of cocoa, the rest of the volume made up of sugar and milk solids.
Zoe gave her a shocked gaze. “But I love this chocolate powder!”
“I do, too,” Lauren replied. “But what if we could find a darker one, such as sixty or even seventy percent cocoa?”
“What if we gave customers a choice?” Zoe proposed. “This one, or the new one?”
“Good idea.” Lauren smiled. “After work, I’ll see if I can find one online.”
“Or we could make our own!”
Lauren’s eyes widened. Why hadn’t she thought of that? She high-fived Zoe. “If I can’t find a good quality one, that’s definitely what we’ll do.”
Ms. Tobin swept into the café a few minutes later, striding up to the counter.
“Are you okay, Ms. Tobin?” Zoe asked, apprehension on her face.
“No, I am not, Zoe.” Ms. Tobin glowered at them.
“What’s wrong?” Lauren’s heart sank. She’d been enjoying the mellower Ms. Tobin for the last few months – she hoped the older woman hadn’t reverted back to her prickly former self.
“I have been interviewed by the detective!”
“You have?” Lauren and Zoe spoke together.
“Brrt?” Annie turned her head to look at Ms. Tobin. The tabby still sat at Hans’ table.
“I can’t believe he had the audacity to think I murdered the cupcake man!”
Lauren’s eyes widened.
“Oh dear. I think you should have a hot chocolate with plenty of marshmallows to cheer yourself up.” Zoe lifted a large mug.
“I don’t know, Zoe.” Wrinkles appeared on Ms. Tobin’s brow. “I do enjoy my large latte here, and hot chocolate has a lot of sugar in it, especially if you add marshmallows.”
Lauren gave her cousin a sideways glance – maybe seeking a chocolate powder with a higher cocoa content was a good idea.
“What about only two marshmallows?” Zoe suggested.
“I’m sure two won’t hurt,” Lauren said.
“Very well.” Ms. Tobin inclined her head.
“And our chocolate powder has fifty percent cocoa content,” Lauren added.
“I didn’t know that.” Ms. Tobin almost smiled. “It sounds very nice.”
Phew. Ms. Tobin sounded like she was almost back to her mellower self.
Zoe steamed the milk.
“Would you like a cupcake or a Danish?” Lauren asked.
“I think I’m too upset to eat,” Ms. Tobin replied. “I do have a bone to pick with you two – did you say anything to the detective about me?”
“Of course not!” Lauren stared at her in shock, the memory of Zoe writing down Ms. Tobin’s name on her suspect list flashing guiltily through her mind.
“Nope.” Zoe paused, the milk wand stationary. “Why would we do something like that?”
“He asked me a lot of questions,” Ms. Tobin answered. “Did I like the cupcake man – Jason. Did I like his cupcakes? I never even bought cupcakes from him! Why would the detective question me? I had nothing to do with the man.”
“But I thought you said you ate one and didn’t like it,” Zoe said slowly.
“That’s true.” Ms. Tobin nodded. “My friend bought some and gave me one to sample. And I told her, just as I told you girls, that I didn’t care for it.”
“Do you think that’s why the detective interviewed you?” Lauren asked delicately. “Because he found out you didn’t like Jason’s cupcakes?”
“But how would he know a thing like that?” Ms. Tobin demanded. “I didn’t tell many people apart from my friend who gave me the one to taste. I’m afraid I told her I didn’t care for it – far too sugary sweet.”
“Do you think ...” Lauren paused. Perhaps she shouldn’t suggest it.
“Do I think what, Lauren? Spit it out.”
“Do you think it was your friend who mentioned it to the detective?” she rushed out.
“Why would my friend do such a thing?” Ms. Tobin frowned again. “How could she think I would murder the cupcake man over something like this?”
“My mother told me never to trust a smirking man.” Had Ms. Tobin said that to her friend as well?
“I have no idea,” Lauren said truthfully.
Slightly mollified, Ms. Tobin turned from the counter.
“Brrt?” Annie jumped off the chair and trotted over to her.
“Annie, dear, please tell me where I should sit.”
“Brrt.” This way. Annie led her to a table in the middle of the room. She hopped up on the chair opposite Ms. Tobin.
By the time Lauren brought her hot chocolate over, Ms. Tobin was smiling at the cat.
“Thank you, Lauren.” Ms. Tobin studied the surface of the beverage. “You’ve made a swan and you have the two marshmallows as eyes – how clever.”
“It was Zoe’s idea.”
“Thank her for me.” Ms. Tobin glanced up. “I’m sorry about what I said at the counter – I’m sure you two girls wouldn’t have told the detective I killed the cupcake man.”
“Of course we wouldn’t have – we didn’t,” Lauren assured her, but she couldn’t help thinking of Ms. Tobin’s name on Zoe’s suspect list. Should she tell Zoe to strike it out?
“It must have been my friend.” Ms. Tobin sighed.
“Perhaps the detective questioned her as well,” Lauren suggested.
“Brrt,” Annie seemed to agree.
“Now, there’s a thought.” Ms. Tobin picked up the teaspoon and swirled it around in the cocoa-colored foam. “I think I’ll call her later this morning.”
Annie stayed with Ms. Tobin for a while, then scampered back to Hans, “talking” to him for a few minutes before he left.
“I wonder what Annie’s saying to him,” Lauren mused as she watched the two of them.
“Maybe she’s filling him in on AJ’s unsuccessful training session,” Zoe suggested.
More customers trickled in, until Detective Castern strode in.
“Uh-oh.” Zoe nudged Lauren. “Look who’s here.”
“Oh, no.” Lauren’s stomach spun. Mitch had warned her that they might be re-questioned and it seemed that he’d been correct.
“Lauren Crenshaw?” The detective flipped open a small notebook.
“Yes?” Lauren replied.
“I spoke to you last week regarding the murder of Jason Ronford,” the detective said.
“That’s right.”
“I need to ask you some more questions.”
“Perhaps we could do it somewhere more privately?” Lauren glanced around the room, aware of the customers taking note of her conversation.
“Why don’t you go out to the herb garden?” Zoe suggested. “I can handle things in here.”
“And you’re Zoe Crenshaw.” The detective thumbed through his notes. “I remember you from last week.”
“That’s me.” Zoe tried for a bright smile.
“I’ll talk to you next.”
“Okay.” Zoe nodded.
Lauren led the way through the back door to the small herb garden outside, dotted with thyme and rosemary.
The detective asked her similar questions to the ones she’d answered last week: how well did she know Jason, why had he been parked outside her café, and had she been upset that he’d tried to steal her customers?
Once again, she answered each question patiently, explaining she and Zoe had gone to the town council and how the permit officer had arrived too late to speak to Jason about his illegal trading.
“Now, what about the morning of his death?” Detective Castern flipped a page of his notebook. “Apparently he parked his cupcake truck outside your cottage early Wednesday morning.”
“I don’t know for sure what time he got here that day.” Lauren crinkled her brow. “All I know is Zoe and I noticed his truck parked outside when we started getting the café ready, which was about eight o’clock. He usually arrived around nine-thirty.”
“And you didn’t see or hear anything unusual outside that morning?” the detective probed.
“No.” Lauren shook her head. “Not until Jessica, his ex-girlfriend, banged on the café door asking for help.”
“Had you seen the murder weapon before?” he asked. “It was a tire wrench.”
“No.” She hadn’t even noticed it when she and Zoe had seen Jason’s dead body, lying inside his cupcake truck.
“That will be all for now,” he eventually said, eyeing her with a grim look on his face. “But don’t leave town. And don’t think just because you’re dating one of our detectives that you’re above the law. Because you’re not.”
Gulp.
Lauren murmured that she understood. He requested that Zoe join him next.
“How was it?” Zoe asked as she entered the café.
“Thorough. Mitch was right about him wanting to solve the case.”
Zoe’s eyebrows climbed to her forehead, then she left for the herb garden.
“Brrt?” Annie looked up at Lauren from the other side of the counter.
“I’m sure everything will be fine.” She tried to reassure the cat. “The detective is just asking more questions, that’s all.”
“Brrp,” Annie said thoughtfully, before wandering over to her basket.
A short while later, Zoe rejoined her, looking a little shaken. “You were right,” she muttered. “I feel like I’ve been totally grilled!”
“Maybe we should both have a hot chocolate,” Lauren proposed, “with lots of marshmallows.”
“Who cares about sugar at a time like this?”
They whipped up the treat for themselves. For once, Lauren was glad there weren’t many customers.
“That hits the spot,” Zoe sighed as she wiggled her feet on the stool. “No wonder Martha likes this so much.”
“I could get totally hooked on this, if I let myself,” Lauren admitted, staring at the little pink and white marshmallows dotting the surface of the cocoa.
“I think the sooner we buy this darker hot chocolate powder, the better,” Zoe confessed. “Less sugar must be a good thing.”
“Mm.”
After they enjoyed their treat, more customers arrived, until the lunch rush lived up to its name.
Lauren was thankful business seemed back to normal once more. At this rate, she wouldn’t have time to call Mitch until later that afternoon.
Finally, the café emptied. Annie was curled up in her basket, one ear twitching as she dozed.
“It’s three o’clock already!” Zoe grinned.
“I’m going to call Mitch.” Lauren dug out her phone. “And tell him about the detective questioning us this morning.”
“He was scary, wasn’t he?”
“That’s for sure.” Lauren shivered. She definitely didn’t want to get on that professional’s bad side.
Hearing Mitch’s voice made her feel better. She told him exactly what the detective had asked her, and he said those questions were all routine, and not to worry. They arranged to have dinner that night. By the time she ended the call, Lauren was smiling.
“All good?” Zoe asked, noting her cousin’s expression.
“Yes. Mitch says he doesn’t think there’s anything to worry about – yet.” She told Zoe about her date.
“It looks like it’s you and me tonight, Annie,” Zoe called out to the snoozing cat.
“Brrp,” came a sleepy reply.
Claire and little Molly entered a short while later, Molly looking around with interest from her seat in the stroller.
“Hi.” Claire smiled at them.
“Annie!” Molly waved a chubby hand at the cat.
“Brrt!” Annie had woken up and trotted to greet the toddler.
“Cino!” Molly beamed at Annie, then Lauren and Zoe.
“I’d love a latte, please,” Claire said.
“Coming right up.” Zoe grinned.
Annie led the mother and daughter to a four-seater near the counter.
“How’s business been?” Claire asked. There were only a couple of customers sharing a table at the rear.
“It’s been good today,” Lauren said. “Would you like anything to eat? We have a few cupcakes left, including my new salted caramel.”
“Oh, I’d love one.” Claire beamed.
“Cino!” Molly demanded. After a second, she added, “Pweese.”
“Zoe is making it right now for you,” Lauren assured her.
“I heard about what happened to the cupcake man,” Claire told them in a low voice. “But I haven’t heard that the police have arrested anyone for it.”
“That’s because they haven’t.” Lauren filled her in.
“That’s dreadful.” Claire looked shocked. “I can’t believe the police think you or Zoe might have done it.”
“What?” Molly looked up from giving Annie gentle “fairy pats.”
Claire clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Thought up a new cupcake flavor they didn’t like.” Lauren winced as she lied to the little girl.
“Silly. Lauren and Annie cupcakes good,” Molly told her with a grin. “Zoe good.”
“That’s right.” Zoe brought the order over. “And this babycino for you is extra good, Molly.”
“Yeah!” Molly’s face lit up at the tiny cup crammed with pink and white marshmallows atop the milky foam, perfected with a dusting of hot chocolate powder.
“Perhaps we should talk about happier things,” Claire proposed.
Zoe immediately launched into their upcoming double date at a farmers’ market next weekend. “We’re just waiting for Chris to text us the details.”
“It sounds wonderful.” Claire smiled. “Please tell me if you enjoyed it. Maybe my husband and I can take Molly there one weekend.”
“That’s a good idea.” Lauren glanced at the toddler, whose upper lip was now covered in milk foam and chocolate dust.
They enjoyed a pleasant time with the mother-daughter duo, until Claire regretfully said goodbye.
“I love coming here. Not only do you have great coffee and treats, but I also enjoy talking to you two – I get my adult conversation fix. And Molly adores Annie – and your babycinos. I don’t know what I was thinking, visiting that cupcake truck.”
They assured her they felt the same way about her and Molly, and waved goodbye to them as they left the café.
“It’s almost time to lock up.” Zoe glanced at Lauren’s white practical watch.
“I’ll have to get ready for my date tonight.” Lauren started tidying the counter.
“What are you going to wear?”
“My plum wrap dress.” It was a key piece of her wardrobe and one that made Lauren feel good.
Once the last customer left, they quickly cleaned the café. Zoe stacked the chairs and vacuumed, while Lauren took care of the remaining dishes in the kitchen.
Annie led the way to the cottage when they were finished.
“I might be the only one watching TV tonight,” Zoe joked as Annie curled up on the living room sofa.
“She’s had a busy day.” Lauren gazed fondly at her fur baby. “I hope it wasn’t too much for her. Maybe she’d like a day off tomorrow.”
“I’m sure she’ll let us know.” Zoe grinned.
Lauren got ready for her date. Mitch had asked her to choose, so she thought it would keep things simple if they went to their favorite bistro on the outskirts of Gold Leaf Valley. Besides, it was a work night, and they both had to get up early the next morning.
“Brrt?” Annie wandered into her room as Lauren brushed her hair in front of the mirror. The plum shade of the dress seemed to bring out the natural golden highlights in her brown hair.
“I’m having dinner with Mitch tonight,” she reminded the feline. “But Zoe will be here with you.”
“Brrp.” Annie jumped up on the bed, turned around in a circle, and nestled on top of the pink bedspread. Her pose was relaxed, but her green eyes were alert as she watched Lauren get ready.
When Mitch arrived, Annie trotted to the front door to say hello to him, then joined Zoe in the living room.
“Have fun!” Zoe called out.
“We will,” Lauren answered, smiling at Mitch.
At the restaurant, Lauren enjoyed pork with four varieties of apple, and Mitch dug into steak with mushroom sauce, while they discussed the case – or what little Mitch could share with Lauren.
“The detective is looking at everyone,” he told her. “You’ll know it’s serious if he asks you to accompany him down to the station – but hopefully it won’t get that far.”
Lauren swallowed hard.
“Okay,” she said faintly.
Mitch took her hand in his, his thumb stroking her palm.
“It will be okay,” he promised her, his brown eyes warm.
She nodded, feeling marginally better.
By the time they were ready to order dessert, Lauren decided not to have any. All the recent sugar talk had made her a little more mindful, but she urged Mitch to choose whatever he liked. He finally settled on warm peach cobbler with whipped cream.
She couldn’t resist when he offered her the first bite, but that was all she had. Maybe she should stick to the promise she’d made herself a few months ago about getting fitter. Her dress had felt just a little tight that evening, although Mitch hadn’t seemed to notice.
They talked about their upcoming double date next weekend.
“Chris sent Zoe the details before I left,” Lauren told him. “We’re meeting him Sunday morning at the market.”
“I can pick up you and Zoe,” Mitch told her.
“That would be great.” Lauren smiled.
Mitch drove her home. They spent a few minutes talking in the car before he walked her up the porch steps.
“Annie might be too sleepy for spying duties tonight,” she told him.
“We wouldn’t want to shock her.” His lips tilted up into a smile.
Lauren hoped Zoe wasn’t watching as Mitch swept her into his arms and gave her a bone-melting kiss.